Systems and Methods for Traffic Policing

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for policing traffic in communications systems are described herein. According to systems and methods herein, tokens are generated for a packet data network based on a peak transmission rate associated with the packet data network. Packets are selected for transmission over the packet data network based on availability of tokens.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 12/858,083, filedAug. 17, 2010. The entirety of application Ser. No. 12/858,083 isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present application relates generally to traffic policing, and morespecifically to systems and methods for policing uplink traffic in LongTerm Evolution (LTE) Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)systems.

2. Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) tomultiple users. Further, such communications may be provided over aplurality of bearers (e.g., Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearers). Someof these bearers may be non-guaranteed bit rate (non-GBR) bearers. Suchnon-GBR bearers are subject to traffic policing that limits the totalbandwidth that the non-GBR bearers can utilize for communications.Accordingly, it is desirable to have a scheme for policing traffic fornon-GBR bearers.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices of the invention each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed bythe claims which follow, some features will now be discussed briefly.After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading thesection entitled “Detailed Description” one will understand how thefeatures of this invention provide advantages that include systems andmethod for traffic policing.

One embodiment of the disclosure provides a wireless terminal operativein a communications network. The terminal comprises a transceiverconfigured to communicate with a first packet data network over a firstcommunication channel. The terminal further comprises a processorcoupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to generate datarepresentative of a number of tokens for the first packet data networkbased on a peak transmission rate associated with the first packet datanetwork. The processor is further configured to wait until the number oftokens for the first packet data network is sufficient to transmit afirst data packet to the first packet data network. The processor isfurther configured to select the first data packet for transmission tothe first packet data network. The processor is further configured toadjust the data representative of the number of tokens for the firstpacket data network based on a size of the first data packet.

Another embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication nodeoperative in a communications network. The node comprises a transceiverconfigured to communicate with a wireless device over a plurality ofnon-guaranteed bit rate bearers. The node further comprises a processorcoupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to group theplurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers into a logical channelgroup consisting of only non guaranteed bit rate bearers. The processoris further configured to receive a transmission request for the logicalchannel group. The processor is further configured to scheduletransmission from the wireless device over the plurality ofnon-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on thetransmission request and a peak transmission data rate associated withthe wireless device.

Yet another embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for policingtraffic in a communications network. The method comprises generatingdata representative of a number of tokens for a first packet datanetwork based on a peak transmission rate associated with the firstpacket data network. The method further comprises waiting until thenumber of tokens for the first packet data network is sufficient totransmit a first data packet to the first packet data network. Themethod further comprises selecting the first data packet fortransmission to the first packet data network. The method furthercomprises adjusting the data representative of the number of tokens forthe first packet data network based on a size of the first data packet.

Yet another embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for policingtraffic in a communications network. The method comprises communicatingwith a wireless device over a plurality of non-guaranteed bit ratebearers. The method further comprises grouping the plurality ofnon-guaranteed bit rate bearers into a logical channel group consistingof only non guaranteed bit rate bearers. The method further comprisesreceiving a transmission request for the logical channel group. Themethod further comprises scheduling transmission from the wirelessdevice over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based atleast in part on the transmission request and a peak transmission datarate associated with the wireless device.

Yet another embodiment of the disclosure provides a wireless terminaloperative in a communications network. The terminal comprises means forgenerating data representative of a number of tokens for a first packetdata network based on a peak transmission rate associated with the firstpacket data network. The terminal further comprises means for waitinguntil the number of tokens for the first packet data network issufficient to transmit a first data packet to the first packet datanetwork. The terminal further comprises means for selecting the firstdata packet for transmission to the first packet data network. Theterminal further comprises means for adjusting the data representativeof the number of tokens for the first packet data network based on asize of the first data packet.

Yet another embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication nodeoperative in a communications network. The node comprises means forcommunicating with a wireless device over a plurality of non-guaranteedbit rate bearers. The node further comprises means for grouping theplurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers into a logical channelgroup consisting of only non guaranteed bit rate bearers. The nodefurther comprises means for receiving a transmission request for thelogical channel group. The node further comprises means for schedulingtransmission from the wireless device over the plurality ofnon-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on thetransmission request and a peak transmission data rate associated withthe wireless device.

Yet another embodiment of the disclosure provides a computer programproduct, comprising computer-readable medium. The computer-readablemedium comprises code for causing a computer to generate datarepresentative of a number of tokens for a first packet data networkbased on a peak transmission rate associated with the first packet datanetwork. The computer-readable medium further comprises code for causinga computer to wait until the number of tokens for the first packet datanetwork is sufficient to transmit a first data packet to the firstpacket data network. The computer-readable medium further comprises codefor causing a computer to select the first data packet for transmissionto the first packet data network. The computer-readable medium furthercomprises code for causing a computer to adjust the data representativeof the number of tokens for the first packet data network based on asize of the first data packet.

Yet another embodiment of the disclosure provides a computer programproduct, comprising computer-readable medium. The computer-readablemedium comprises code for causing a computer to communicate with awireless device over a plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers. Thecomputer-readable medium further comprises code for causing a computerto group the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers into a logicalchannel group consisting of only non guaranteed bit rate bearers. Thecomputer-readable medium further comprises code for causing a computerto receive a transmission request for the logical channel group. Thecomputer-readable medium further comprises code for causing a computerto schedule transmission from the wireless device over the plurality ofnon-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on thetransmission request and a peak transmission data rate associated withthe wireless device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of certain communication devices ofthe communication network of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating connections between a userequipment (UE) and an application server of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a communications stack of a UE of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates a representation of a system for policing uplinktraffic from a UE to an eNB of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of grouping of evolved packet system (EPS)bearers into logical channel groups.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for selectingnon-guaranteed bit rate (non-GBR) EPS bearer packets of a connection fortransmission from a UE to an eNB of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of scheduling communication over non-GBR EPSbearers grouped into a single logical channel group of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary UE shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary eNB shown in FIG.2.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of another exemplary UE in one ofthe communication networks of FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of another exemplary eNB in one ofthe communication networks of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments. The following description ispresented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use theinvention. Details are set forth in the following description forpurpose of explanation. It should be appreciated that one of ordinaryskill in the art would realize that the invention may be practicedwithout the use of these specific details. In other instances, wellknown structures and processes are not elaborated in order not toobscure the description of the invention with unnecessary details. Thus,the present invention is not intended to be limited by the embodimentsshown, but is to be accorded with the widest scope consistent with theprinciples and features disclosed herein.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication networks such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, FrequencyDivision Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA)networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, etc. The terms“networks” and “systems” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA networkmay implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial RadioAccess (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) andLow Chip Rate (LCR). cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856standards. A TDMA network may implement a radio technology such asGlobal System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network mayimplement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11,IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM”, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM arepart of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). Long TermEvolution (LTE) is an upcoming release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA,E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents from anorganization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). cdma2000is described in documents from an organization named “3rd GenerationPartnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These various radio technologies andstandards are known in the art.

Single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), whichutilizes single carrier modulation and frequency domain equalization isa technique. SC-FDMA has similar performance and essentially the sameoverall complexity as those of OFDMA system. SC-FDMA signal has lowerpeak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) because of its inherent singlecarrier structure. SC-FDMA has drawn great attention, especially in theuplink communications where lower PAPR greatly benefits the mobileterminal in terms of transmit power efficiency. It is currently aworking assumption for uplink multiple access scheme in 3GPP Long TermEvolution (LTE), or Evolved UTRA.

Furthermore, in the following description, for reasons of concisenessand clarity, terminology associated with the Long Term Evolution (LTE)Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) systems is used. TheLTE E-UTRA technology is further described in the 3GPP TS 23.401: GPRSEnhancements for E-UTRAN Access (Release 8), which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety. It should be emphasized thatthe invention may also be applicable to other technologies, such astechnologies and the associated standards related to Wideband CodeDivision Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Evolved High RatePacket Data (eHRPD) and so forth. Terminologies associated withdifferent technologies can vary. For example, depending on thetechnology considered, the User Equipment (UE) used in LTE can sometimesbe called a mobile station, a user terminal, a subscriber unit, anaccess terminal, etc., to name just a few. Likewise, the Serving Gateway(SGW) used in LTE can sometimes be called a gateway, a HRPD servinggateway, and so forth. Likewise, the evolved Node B (eNB) used in LTEcan sometimes be called an access node, an access point, a base station,a Node B, HRPD base station (BTS), and so forth. It should be noted herethat different terminologies apply to different technologies whenapplicable.

A UE may form multiple connections, such as packed data network (PDN)connections, each associated with the access point name (APN), with aSGW and a packet data network gateway (PGW) to access variousapplication servers running on a communication network. Each connectionmay be to a different network, such as a Voice Over Internet Protocol(VoIP), the Internet, etc. which is identified by the access point name(APN). Further, the UE may set up one or more evolved packet system(EPS) bearers for each connection, where the EPS bearer corresponds to alogical channel or data radio bearer.

Each EPS bearer may be associated with a particular service (e.g.,conversational voice, conversational video, real time gaming,non-conversational video, IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) signaling,etc.). Each EPS bearer is either a guaranteed bit rate (GBR) bearer or anon-guaranteed bit rate (non-GBR) bearer. Each GBR bearer is associatedwith a maximum bit rate (MBR), which is the maximum bandwidth allocatedto that bearer, and a GBR, which is the minimum bit rate allocated tothat bearer. Accordingly, bandwidth allocation for each GBR bearer iswell defined. However, non-GBR bearers are not associated with a minimumbit rate or a maximum bit rate allocated for a given non-GBR bearer.Rather, non-GBR bearers collectively are subject to a per-UE aggregatemaximum bit rate (UE-AMBR) and per-APN AMBR (APN-AMBR). Accordingly,there is a maximum bit rate for communication of data over all of thenon-GBR bearers of the UE. Further, there is a maximum bit rate forcommunication for communication of data over all of the non-GBR bearersof a given PDN connection of the UE. The APN-AMBR may be sent to the UEfrom an eNB as an APN-AMBR information element (IE) in a non-accessstratum (NAS) message ACTIVATE DEFAULT EPS BEARER CONTEXT REQUEST duringinitial attachment of the UE to a network element or a new PDNconnectivity request. If there is a change of the APN-AMBR, the networkcan send the new APN-AMBR IE in a MODIFY EPS BEARER CONTEXT REQUESTmessage to the UE via the eNB. Systems and methods of traffic policingof the non-GBR bearers are necessary to ensure enforcement of UE-AMBRand APN-AMBRs and are described below. Such systems and methods may beused, for example, to enforce uplink (UL) communication from the UE toan eNB.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network 100. Thewireless communication network 100 is configured to supportcommunication between a number of users. The wireless communicationnetwork 100 may be divided into one or more cells 102, such as, forexample, cells 102 a-102 g. Communication coverage in cells 102 a-102 gmay be provided by one or more eNBs 104, such as, for example, eNBs 104a-104 g. Each eNB 104 may provide communication coverage to acorresponding cell 102. The eNBs 104 may interact with a plurality ofUEs, such as, for example, UEs 106 a-1061.

Each UE 106 may communicate with one or more eNBs 104 on a forward link(FL) and/or a reverse link (RL) at a given moment. A FL is acommunication link from an eNB to an UE. A RL is a communication linkfrom an UE to an eNB. The FL may also be referred to as the downlink(DL). Further, the RL may also be referred to as the uplink (UL). TheeNBs 104 may be interconnected, for example, by appropriate wired orwireless interfaces and may be able to communicate with each other.Accordingly, each UE 106 may communicate with another UE 106 through oneor more eNBs 104.

The wireless communication network 100 may provide service over a largegeographic region. For example, the cells 102 a-102 g may cover only afew blocks within a neighborhood or several square miles in a ruralenvironment. In one embodiment, each cell may be further divided intoone or more sectors (not shown).

As described above, an eNB 104 a may provide UE 106 a access within itscoverage area to another communications network, such as, for examplethe internet or another cellular network.

An UE 106 a may be a wireless communication device (e.g., a mobilephone, router, personal computer, server, etc.) used by a user to sendand receive voice or data over a communications network. As shown, UEs106 a, 106 h, and 106 j comprise routers. UEs 106 b-106 g, 106 i, 106 k,and 1061 comprise mobile phones. However, each of UEs 106 a-1061 maycomprise any suitable communication device.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of certain communication devices ofthe communication network of FIG. 1. It may be desirable for an UE 106 ato receive data (e.g., data packets for a web browsing session, datapackets for a Voice Over IP (VoIP) call, data packets for a videostream, or other data or media content) from one or more data sourcessuch as application server 202 (e.g., a server controlled by a contentprovider, such as, internet websites provided by CNN®, YAHOO!®, etc.).FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which the UE 106 a maycommunicate with the application server 202 to receive information.

The UE 106 a may send a request seeking data from the application server202 to the eNB 104 a. The UE 106 a may establish a communication linkwith the eNB 104 a. The communication link 210 may be an appropriatewireless link, such as, an airlink. The UE 106 a may send the request tothe eNB 104 a via the communication link 210.

The eNB 104 a may receive from the UE 106 a the request seeking datafrom the application server 202. The eNB 104 a may facilitatecommunication between the UE 106 a and the application server 202 bysending the request for data to a SGW 225. The eNB 104 a and the SGW 225may be coupled by one or more appropriate wired links (e.g., fiber opticcable, copper cable, etc.) and/or wireless links (e.g., airlinks). TheSGW 225 may further communicate with one or more additional eNBs (e.g.,eNB 104 b) via one or more additional wired links.

The SGW 225 may receive from the eNB 104 a the sent request seeking datafrom the application server 202. The SGW 225 may facilitatecommunication between the UE 106 a and the application server 202 bysending the request for data to the appropriate gateway (e.g., PGW 227).

The SGW 225 may be coupled to PGW 227 by one or more appropriate wiredlinks (e.g., fiber optic cable, copper cable, etc.) and/or wirelesslinks (e.g., airlinks). The SGW 225 may be coupled to a plurality ofPGWs, each PGW being associated with one or more networks (e.g., PDNnetworks). The PGW 227 may be associated with the network 229 where theapplication server 202 is located. As discussed above, the network 229may have associated with it an access point name (APN), unique to thenetwork 229. The P-GW 227 may be directly coupled to the server 202 ormay be indirectly connected through another device. Accordingly, the SGW225 may determine which PGW to send the request for data to, based onthe destination of the request. For example, the SGW 225 sends therequest seeking data from the application server 202 to the PGW 227, sothat the request reaches the application server 202. The PGW 227 thensends the request to the application server 202 via the network 229.

The network 229 may receive from the PGW 227 the request seeking datafrom the application server 202. The network 229 may facilitatecommunication between the UE 106 a and the application server 202 bysending the request for data to the application server 202 via anappropriate wired or wireless link. The network 229 may comprise, forexample, an intranet or a part of the Internet. In one embodiment, thenetwork 229 operates pursuant to the internet protocol (IP) aspromulgated by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The networkmay be in communication with one or more additional application servers(not shown).

The application server 202 may receive from the network 229 the requestfor data. The application server 202 may comprise a server connected tothe network 229. The application server 202 may serve data content suchas video streams to devices that access the network 229. The UE 106 amay access the application server 202 to retrieve video streams or otherdata as described above. Accordingly, the application server 202 mayprocess the received request and transmit the requested data to the UE106 a via the network 229, the PGW 227, the SGW 225, and the eNB 104 a.

As discussed above, in LTE, for the UE 106 a to communicate with theapplication server 202, the UE 106 a may need to set up a PDN connectionwith the application server 202. The UE 106 a may set up a PDNconnection with each data source that the UE 106 a communicates. The PDNconnection may be a logical connection between the application server202 and the UE 106 a that corresponds to one or more physicalconnections required for the UE 106 a and the application server 202 tocommunicate. Further, the UE 106 a may set up multiple EPS bearers foreach PDN connection.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating connections between a userequipment (UE) and an application server of FIG. 2. The UE 106 a, theeNB 104 a, the SGW 225, and the PGW 227 are shown horizontally at thetop of the figure. The connections between apparatuses is shown withdirectional arrows. As shown, the UE 106 a has a plurality of PDNconnections 305 a-305 d set up with the PGW 227. Further, theconnections comprise one or more EPS bearers. For example, PDNconnection 305 a comprises EPS bearers 310 a 1-310 a 2. The UE 106 a maycommunicate with one or more servers (e.g., server 202) via the EPSbearers of the connections 305 a-305 d. The communications may bepoliced as discussed below.

FIG. 4 illustrates a communications stack of a UE of FIG. 2. In an LTEsystem, before the UE 106 a can transmit data to the network via the eNB104 a, the UE 106 a must request to send data. Applications running onthe UE 106 a may generate data to send to other entities such as theserver 202. The applications may send the data to an IP layer 405 to beformatted for transmission to the eNB 104 a. The IP layer may furthersend the data to a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer 410,which further formats the data and sends the data to a radio linkcontrol (RLC) layer 415. The RLC layer 415 further formats the data andsend the data to a media access control (MAC) layer 420. The MAC layer420 may perform final formatting of the data before transmission to theeNB 104 a. Further, the MAC layer 420 may buffer the data to betransmitted to the eNB 104 a and negotiate with the eNB 104 a to securepermission to transmit the data. The MAC layer 420 may buffer the datauntil permission is secured. The MAC layer 420 may generate a bufferstatus report (BSR) to send to the eNB 104 a, which gives the status ofthe buffer to the eNB 104 a. Using the BSR, the eNB 104 a may generate atransmission schedule for the UE 106 a. The eNB 104 a may send thetransmission schedule to the UE 106 a, which then uses the transmissionschedule to schedule transmission of the data to the eNB 104 a.

As discussed above, data to be sent from the UE 106 a to the eNB 104 aover non-GBR bearers needs to meet certain parameters including aUE-AMBR and APN-AMBRs. One method of policing the transmission is tothrottle the flow of data from the IP layer 405 to the MAC layer 420.Accordingly, the passing of data from the IP layer 405 to the PDCP layer410 is controlled as discussed below with respect to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 illustrates a representation of a system for policing uplinktraffic from a UE to an eNB of FIG. 2. APN-AMBR can be policed asfollows. The IP layer 405 provides uplink packet filters that map datapackets from applications to a particular EPS bearer. For example, theIP layer 405 maps data packets from applications to non-GBR bearers of aparticular connection. Each non-GBR bearer of a given connection isassociated with a packet buffer (e.g., a queue, stack, etc.). Forexample, a connection APN1 may have three non-GBR bearers 1-3, whereeach non-GBR bearer 1-3 is associated with a buffer 505 a-505 c,respectively. In another embodiment, all of the non-GBR bearers 1-3 mayshare a single buffer, or one or more non-GBR bearers may share a buffer(e.g., non-GBR bearers 1-2 share a buffer and non-GBR bearer 3 isassociated with its own buffer). The buffers 505 a-505 c store packetdata from applications to be sent over non-GBR bearers 1-3,respectively, to the eNB 104 a. As discussed above, the APN-AMBR is amaximum bit rate for sending data over non-GBR bearers of a givenconnection. Accordingly, the APN-AMBR of the connection APN1 is the AMBRfor sending data over non-GBR bearers 1-3 collectively.

The connection APN1 is further associated with a single token bucket510. The token bucket 510 is used to police the traffic over APN1. Atoken generator generates tokens for the token bucket 510. The tokenbucket may be, for example, a variable, integer, data structure, etc.,that reflects a number of bits. The token generator may be, for example,a function that adjusts the integer or data structure to reflect a newnumber of bits. The generation of tokens for the token bucket 510 isbased on the APN-AMBR of connection APN1. For example, the APN-AMBR maybe in units of kilobits per second (kbps). Accordingly, the tokengenerator may generate N*1000 tokens ever T seconds, where N/T equalsthe APN-AMBR and a token corresponds to a single bit. In one embodiment,T=0.01 seconds. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that atoken can refer to a different number of bits and that N and T and therelationship of N and T with respect to the APN-AMBR can be setaccordingly. In one embodiment, the token bucket 510 has a maximumnumber of tokens. Accordingly, when the token bucket 510 reaches themaximum number of tokens, the token generator stops generating tokensuntil the number of tokens in the token bucket 510 is reduced. The tokenbucket 510 may be initially set so it contains the maximum number oftokens. If there are a number of connections, N may be an array N(j)with one element of the array corresponding to one connection. Further,there may be a different token generator for each element of the arrayN(j) depending on the APN-AMBR associated with the connection.

A given IP packet from one of buffers 505 a-505 c is sent only whenthere are enough tokens in the token bucket 510. For example, a given IPpacket in the buffer 505 a may have a size of X bits. Accordingly, theIP packet in the buffer 505 a may only be sent from the IP layer 405 tothe PDCP layer 410 if there are at least X bits in the token bucket 510.When an IP packet in one of the buffers 505 a-505 c is sent to the PDCPlayer 410, the number of tokens in the token bucket 510 is decreased bythe size of the IP packet sent (e.g., X). Accordingly, the flow ofpacket data for the non-GBR bearer 1 which is associated with the buffer505 a, is limited by the number of tokens in the token bucket 510, andaccordingly, the rate at which tokens are generated for the token bucket510. Further, as discussed above, the token bucket 510 is shared by thebuffers 505 a-505 c. Accordingly, the flow of packet data for all of thenon-GBR bearers 1-3 is controlled by the rate at which tokens aregenerated for the token bucket 510, which is based on the APN-AMBR ofthe APN1. Thus, the flow of packet data for all of the non-GBR bearers1-3 of the APN1 is appropriately limited to the APN-AMBR of the APN1.Further, since the token bucket 510 has a maximum size, the number oftokens available for a time period T is limited, thus preventing largeamounts of data from being sent over the APN1 over a short period oftime that may violate the APN-AMBR and exceed the bandwidth available tothe connection APN1.

The system for policing uplink traffic described with respect to FIG. 5is further configured to select IP packets to send from the IP layer 405to the PDCP layer 410 from among the non-GBR bearers associated with agiven connection. For example, in the embodiment where there is a singlebuffer (e.g., buffer 505 a) associated with all the non-GBR bearers(e.g., non-GBR bearers 1-3), the IP packets may be selected in the orderin which they arrived in the buffer (e.g., first-in-first-out,last-in-first-out, etc.).

In an embodiment where there are multiple buffers (e.g., buffers 505a-505 c) for the non-GBR bearers (e.g., non-GBR bearers 1-3), the systemmay be configured to prioritize the non-GBR bearers, and select IPpackets based on the priority of the non-GBR bearers. For example, eachEPS bearer may be associated with a priority ranking. The priorityranking of the EPS bearer may be based on a quality of service (QoS)class identifier (QCI) associated with the EPS bearer. For example, eachGBR bearer and each non-GBR bearer may be associated with one of 9 QCI(1-9). The QCI of each EPS bearer may have the following propertiesaccording to Table 1.

TABLE 1 Packet Packet Error Resource Delay Loss QCI Type Priority BudgetRate Example Services 1 GBR 2 100 ms 10⁻² Conversational Voice 2 4 150ms 10⁻³ Conversational Video (Live Streaming) 3 3  50 ms 10⁻³ Real TimeGaming 4 5 300 ms 10⁻⁶ Non-Conversational Video (Buffered Streaming) 5Non-GBR 1 100 ms 10⁻⁶ IMS Signalling 6 6 300 ms 10⁻⁶ Video (BufferedStreaming) TCP-based (e.g., www, e-mail, chat, ftp, p2p file sharing,progressive video, etc.) 7 7 100 ms 10⁻³ Voice, Video (Live Streaming)Interactive Gaming 8 8 300 ms 10⁻⁶ Video (Buffered Streaming) 9 9TCP-based (e.g., www, e-mail, chat, ftp, p2p file sharing, progressivevideo, etc.)

As shown, each QCI has a particular priority ranking. Accordingly,packets may be selected from multiple buffers 505 a-505 c on the basisof which buffer is associated with a higher ranked non-GBR bearer. Forexample, non-GBR bearers 1-3 may have QCI 6, 7, and 8, respectively.Accordingly, if any packets are in the buffer 505 a for non-GBR bearer1, those packets are selected to be sent to from the IP layer 405 to thePDCP layer 410 before any packets are selected from buffer 505 b and 505c. Further, if there are no packets in the buffer 505 a, packets areselected from buffer 505 b before any packets are selected from buffer505 c. If, for example, multiple non-GBR bearers have the same QCI(e.g., non-GBR bearers 1 and 2), the priority of packets may further bebased on a MAC layer priority associated with each non-GBR bearer. TheMAC layer priority, for example, is contained in a logicalChannelConfiginformation element (IE) of a radio resource control (RRC) messageRRCConnectionReconfiguration associated with a given EPS bearer. One ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that other priority schemessimilar to those described may be used for packet selection between thebuffers 505 a-505 c.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of grouping of EPS bearers into logicalchannel groups. EPS bearers associated with a UE (e.g., UE 106 a) may begrouped into a plurality of logical channel groups (LCGs). For example,in LTE systems, four LCGs are allowed per UE. The eNB 104 a groups EPSbearers into the LCGs. Each LCG may include one or more EPS bearers,where the EPS bearers may be non-GBR bearers and/or GBR bearers.Further, the EPS bearers of a given LCG may be associated with one ormore PDN connections.

As discussed above, the MAC layer 420 of the UE 106 a may buffer packetssent from the IP layer 405 for transmission to the eNB 104 a. The MAClayer 420 may buffer data such that there is one buffer per LCG. The MAClayer 420 may then generate a BSR for each LCG and transmit the BSR tothe eNB 104 a. The BSR may comprise data indicative of the number of MAClayer packets in the buffer of a particular LCG. The eNB 104 a may thendetermine the number of bits required to send the MAC layer packets overthe EPS bearers of the LCG. For example, the MAC layer may add overheadbits when transmitting IP packets. Accordingly, the eNB 104 a determinesthe number of bits required to send an IP packet including the overheadbits required to determine how many bits the UE 106 a is requesting tosend.

In order to police the rate that data is sent over non-GBR bearers fromthe UE 106 a to the eNB 104 a, the eNB 104 a needs to be able todetermine the rate at which data is sent over the non-GBR bearers fromthe UE 106 a. In one embodiment, the eNB 104 a may group all of thenon-GBR EPS bearers associated with the UE 106 a into one or more LCGs(e.g., LCG 0), wherein the one or more LCGs do not include any GBR EPSbearers. The GBR bearers may be grouped into one or more other LCGs(e.g., LCGs 1-3). Accordingly, when the eNB 104 a receives BSRs for theone or more LCGs with only non-GBR EPS bearers, the eNB 104 a know theamount of data the UE 106 a requests to send to the eNB 104 a over theaggregate of all of the non-GBR EPS bearers. Therefore, the eNB 104 acan keep track of the number of bits sent over non-GBR EPS bearers bythe UE 106 a over time. The eNB 104 a may schedule transmission ofpackets in the one or more LCGs with only non-GBR EPS bearers such thatthe data rate of transmission does not exceed the UE-AMBR. For example,the eNB 104 a may schedule M bits to be transmitted every T timeinterval from the UE 106 a such that the UE-AMBR is not exceeded.

In another embodiment, the eNB 104 a may group all non-GBR EPS bearersof a given connection into a single LCG, for all of the connections thatinclude non-GBR EPS bearers. The GBR EPS bearers may be grouped into oneor more other LCGs. By receiving a BSR for a LCG including all non-GBREPS bearers of a given connection, the eNB 104 a can then determine thenumber of bits the UE 106 a requests to send over the non-GBR EPSbearers of a given connection. The eNB 104 a may therefore scheduletransmission of packets for the LCG with only non-GBR EPS bearers of agiven connection such that the data rate of transmission does not exceedthe APN-AMBR for that connection. Further, by receiving the BSRs of eachof the LCGs containing only non-GBR EPS bearers, the eNB 104 a can thendetermine the number of bits the UE 106 a requests to send over all ofnon-GBR EPS bearers of the UE 106 a. The eNB 104 a may therefore furtherschedule transmission of packets for each of the LCGs containing onlynon-GBR EPS bearers such that the data rate of transmission does notexceed the UE-AMBR for the UE 106 a.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for selecting non-GBR EPSbearer packets of a PDN connection for transmission from a UE to an eNBof FIG. 2. At a first step 705, the UE 106 a determines whether thetoken bucket 510 associated with the connection APN1 has reached amaximum number of tokens. If the UE 106 a determines the token bucket510 has reached a maximum number of tokens, the process 700 continues toa step 715. If the UE 106 a determines the token bucket 510 has notreached a maximum number of tokens, the process 700 continues to a step710. At the step 710, the token bucket generator associated with thetoken bucket 510 generates tokens based on an APN-AMBR associated withthe connection APN1.

Continuing at a step 715, the UE 106 a determines if there is at leastone data packet in one of buffers 505 a-505 c to send to the eNB 104 a.If at the step 715, the UE 106 a determines there is not at least onedata packet in one of buffers 505 a-505 c to send to the eNB 104 a, theprocess 700 returns to the step 705. If at the step 715, the UE 106 adetermines there is at least one data packet in one of buffers 505 a-505c to send to the eNB 104 a, the process 700 continues to a step 720.

At the step 720, the UE 106 a determines whether there are data packetsin more than one of the buffers 505 a-505 c. If the UE 106 a determinesthere are not data packets in more than one of the buffers 505 a-505 c,the process 700 continues to a step 725. At the step 725, the UE 106 aselects the data packet from the one of the buffers 505 a-505 c withdata packets. The process 700 then continues to a step 735.

If the UE 106 a determines there are data packets in more than one ofthe buffers 505 a-505 c, the UE 106 a continues to a step 730. At thestep 730, the UE 106 a selects the data packet from the one of thebuffers 505 a-505 c associated with the bearer having the highestpriority from among the bearers associated with buffers 505 a-505 c. Theprocess 700 then continues to the step 735.

At the step 735, the UE 106 a determines if there are sufficient tokensin the token bucket 510 to transmit the selected packet. If the UE 106 adetermines there are not sufficient tokens, the process 700 returns tostep 705. If the UE 106 a determines there are sufficient tokens, theprocess 700 continues to a step 740. At the step 740, the UE 106 aselects the packet for transmission and passes the packet from the IPlayer 405 to the PDCP layer 410.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of scheduling communication over non-GBR EPSbearers grouped into a single logical channel group of FIG. 6. At afirst step 805, the eNB 104 a groups all of the non-GBR EPS bearersassociated with the UE 106 a into a single LCG, LCG0. Continuing at astep 810, the eNB 104 a groups the GBR EPS bearers into other LCGs,LCGs1-3. Further, at a step 815, the eNB 104 a receives a request fromthe UE 106 a to transmit data over one or more of the non-GBR EPSbearers in the LCG0. Next, at a step 820, the eNB 104 a schedulestransmission from the UE 106 a to the eNB 104 a over the one or more ofthe non-GBR EPS bearers in the LCG0 based on the UE-AMBR of the UE 106a. Further at a step 825, the UE 106 a transmits the schedule to the UE106 a.

One of ordinary skill in the art should understand that processes 700and 800 are merely illustrative. Steps of process 700 and 800 may beremoved, additional steps may be added, and/or the order of stepschanged, while still being consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary user equipment 106a shown in FIG. 2. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 2, the UE 106a may communicate with the eNB 104 a to receive data from theapplication server 202 by sending a request for data to the applicationserver 202 via the eNB 104 a. The UE 106 a may comprise a transmitcircuit 910 configured to transmit an outbound message, such as arequest for data from the application server 202, to the eNB 104 a. TheUE 106 a may further comprise a receive circuit 915 configured toreceive an incoming message, such as a data packet from the applicationserver 202, from the eNB 104 a. The transmit circuit 910 and the receivecircuit 915 may be coupled to a central processing unit (CPU)/controller920 via a bus 917. The CPU 920 may be configured to process the inboundand outbound messages coming from or going to the eNB 104 a. The CPU 920may also be configured to control other components of the UE 106 a.

The CPU 920 may further be coupled to a memory 930 via the bus 917. TheCPU 920 may read information from or write information to the memory930. For example, the memory 930 may be configured to store inbound oroutbound messages before, during, or after processing and/or records ofconnections and connection contexts. The memory 930 may also compriseinstructions or functions for execution on the CPU 920. For example, thememory 930 may comprise instructions or functions to perform theprocesses and methods described herein.

The transmit circuit 910 may comprise a modulator configured to modulateoutbound message going to the eNB 104 a. The receive circuit 915 maycomprise a demodulator configured to demodulate inbound messages comingfrom the eNB 104 a.

The memory 930 may comprise processor cache, including a multi-levelhierarchical cache in which different levels have different capacitiesand access speeds. The memory 930 may also comprise random access memory(RAM), other volatile storage devices, or non-volatile storage devices.The storage may include hard drives, optical discs, such as compactdiscs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs), flash memory, floppy discs,magnetic tape, Zip drives, etc.

Although described separately, it is to be appreciated that functionalblocks described with respect to the UE 106 a need not be separatestructural elements. For example, the CPU 920 and the memory 930 may beembodied on a single chip. The CPU 920 may additionally, or in thealternative, contain memory, such as processor registers. Similarly, oneor more of the functional blocks or portions of the functionality ofvarious blocks may be embodies on a single chip. Alternatively, thefunctionality of a particular block may be implemented on two or morechips.

One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations ofthe functional blocks described with respect to the UE 106 a may beembodied as a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, circuitry or anysuitable combination thereof designed to perform the functions describedherein. In this specification and the appended claims, it should beclear that the term “circuitry” is construed as a structural term andnot as a functional term. For example, circuitry can be an aggregate ofcircuit components, such as a multiplicity of integrated circuitcomponents, in the form of processing and/or memory cells, units,blocks, and the like, such as shown and described in FIG. 9. One or moreof the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations of thefunctional blocks described with respect to the UE 106 a may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessor in conjunction with a DSP communication, or anyother such configuration.

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary eNB 104 a shown inFIG. 2. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 2, the eNB 104 a maysend/receive data to/from the UE 106 a. Further, the eNB 104 a maycommunicate with the SGW 225 and the PGW 227 to send/receive datato/from the application server 202 as discussed above with respect toFIG. 2. Accordingly, the eNB 104 a may facilitate communication betweenthe UE 106 a and the application server 202. The eNB 104 a may comprisea transmit circuit 1010 configured to transmit an outbound message, suchas a request for data from the application server 202. The eNB 104 a mayfurther comprise a receive circuit 1015 configured to receive anincoming message, such as a data packet from the application server 202.The transmit circuit 1010 and the receive circuit 1015 may be coupled toa central processing unit (CPU)/controller 1020 via a bus 1017. The CPU1020 may be configured to process the inbound and outbound messagescoming from or going to the application server 202. The CPU 1020 mayalso be configured to control other components of the eNB 104 a.

The CPU 1020 may further be coupled to a memory 1030 via the bus 1017.The CPU 1020 may read information from or write information to thememory 1030. For example, the memory 1030 may be configured to storeinbound or outbound messages before, during, or after processing and/orrecords of connections and connection contexts. The memory 1030 may alsocomprise instructions or functions for execution on the CPU 120. Forexample, the memory 1030 may comprise instructions or functions toperform the processes and methods described herein.

The transmit circuit 1010 may comprise a modulator configured tomodulate outbound messages going to the UE 106 a and/or the SGW 225. Thereceive circuit 1015 may comprise a demodulator configured to demodulateinbound messages coming from the UE 106 a and/or the SGW 225.

The memory 1030 may comprise processor cache, including a multi-levelhierarchical cache in which different levels have different capacitiesand access speeds. The memory 1030 may also comprise random accessmemory (RAM), other volatile storage devices, or non-volatile storagedevices. The storage may include hard drives, optical discs, such ascompact discs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs), flash memory, floppydiscs, magnetic tape, Zip drives, etc.

Although described separately, it is to be appreciated that functionalblocks described with respect to the eNB 104 a need not be separatestructural elements. For example, the CPU 1020 and the memory 1030 maybe embodied on a single chip. The CPU 1020 may additionally, or in thealternative, contain memory, such as processor registers. Similarly, oneor more of the functional blocks or portions of the functionality ofvarious blocks may be embodies on a single chip. Alternatively, thefunctionality of a particular block may be implemented on two or morechips.

One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations ofthe functional blocks described with respect to the eNB 104 a may beembodied as a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, circuitry or anysuitable combination thereof designed to perform the functions describedherein. As noted above, it should be clear that the term “circuitry” isconstrued as a structural term and not as a functional term. Forexample, circuitry can be an aggregate of circuit components, such as amultiplicity of integrated circuit components, in the form of processingand/or memory cells, units, blocks, and the like, such as shown anddescribed in FIG. 10. One or more of the functional blocks and/or one ormore combinations of the functional blocks described with respect to theUE 106 a may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices,e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessor in conjunction with a DSPcommunication, or any other such configuration.

The functionality described herein (e.g., with regard to one or more ofthe accompanying figures) may correspond in some aspects to similarlydesignated “means for” functionality in the appended claims. Referringto FIGS. 9-12, the UE 106 a and the eNB 104 a are represented as aseries of interrelated functional modules.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of another exemplary UE in one ofthe communication networks of FIG. 2. As shown, the UE 106 a maycomprise a generating module 1105, a waiting module 1110, a selectingmodule 1115, an adjusting module 1120, a communicating module 1125, anda determining module 1130. The generating module 1105 may correspond atleast in some aspects to, for example, a CPU and/or a memory asdiscussed herein. The waiting module 1110 may correspond at least insome aspects to, for example, a CPU and/or a memory as discussed herein.The selecting module 1115 may correspond at least in some aspects to,for example, a CPU and/or a memory as discussed herein. The adjustingmodule 1120 may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, aCPU and/or a memory as discussed herein. The communicating module 1125may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a transmitcircuit and/or a receive circuit as discussed herein. The determiningmodule 1130 may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, aCPU and/or a memory as discussed herein.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of another exemplary eNB in one ofthe communication networks of FIG. 2. As shown, the eNB 104 a maycomprise a communicating module 1205, a grouping module 1210, areceiving module 1215, and a scheduling module 1220. The communicatingmodule 1205 may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, atransmit circuit and/or a receive circuit as discussed herein. Thegrouping module 1210 may correspond at least in some aspects to, forexample, a CPU and/or a memory as discussed herein. The receiving module1215 may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a CPUand/or a receive circuit as discussed herein. The scheduling module 1220may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a CPU and/or amemory as discussed herein.

The functionality of the modules of FIGS. 9-12 may be implemented invarious ways consistent with the teachings herein. In some aspects thefunctionality of these modules may be implemented as one or moreelectrical components. In some aspects the functionality of these blocksmay be implemented as a processing system including one or moreprocessor components. In some aspects the functionality of these modulesmay be implemented using, for example, at least a portion of one or moreintegrated circuits (e.g., an ASIC). As discussed herein, an integratedcircuit may include a processor, software, other related components, orsome combination thereof. The functionality of these modules also may beimplemented in some other manner as taught herein.

It should be understood that any reference to an element herein using adesignation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not generallylimit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, thesedesignations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishingbetween two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, areference to first and second elements does not mean that only twoelements may be employed there or that the first element must precedethe second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwise a setof elements may comprise one or more elements. In addition, terminologyof the form “at least one of: A, B, or C” used in the description or theclaims means “A or B or C or any combination of these elements.”

Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, methods and algorithmsdescribed in connection with the examples disclosed herein may beimplemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinationsof both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware andsoftware, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits,methods and algorithms have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentinvention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the examples disclosed herein may be implemented orperformed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP communication, or anyother such configuration.

The methods or algorithms described in connection with the examplesdisclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storagemedium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor may readinformation from, and write information to, the storage medium. In thealternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Theprocessor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Astorage media may be any available media that can be accessed by acomputer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readablemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code inthe form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed bya computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readablemedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also beincluded within the scope of computer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention.Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein maybe applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to belimited to the examples shown herein but is to be accorded the widestscope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication node operative in a communications network, the node comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless device over a plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor being configured to: group the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers into a logical channel group consisting of only non guaranteed bit rate bearers; receive a transmission request for the logical channel group; and schedule transmission from the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on the transmission request and a peak transmission data rate associated with the wireless device.
 2. The node of claim 1, wherein the peak transmission data rate comprises a user equipment aggregate maximum bit rate.
 3. The node of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to schedule transmission from the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on an amount of data transmitted by the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers during a predetermined time interval.
 4. A method for policing traffic in a communications network, the method comprising: communicating with a wireless device over a plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers; grouping the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers into a logical channel group consisting of only non guaranteed bit rate bearers; receiving a transmission request for the logical channel group; and scheduling transmission from the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on the transmission request and a peak transmission data rate associated with the wireless device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the peak transmission data rate comprises a user equipment aggregate maximum bit rate.
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising scheduling transmission from the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on an amount of data transmitted by the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers during a predetermined time interval.
 7. A communication node operative in a communications network, the node comprising: means for communicating with a wireless device over a plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers; means for grouping the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers into a logical channel group consisting of only non guaranteed bit rate bearers; means for receiving a transmission request for the logical channel group; and means for scheduling transmission from the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on the transmission request and a peak transmission data rate associated with the wireless device.
 8. The communication node of claim 7, wherein the peak transmission data rate comprises a user equipment aggregate maximum bit rate.
 9. The communication node of claim 7, further comprising means for scheduling transmission from the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on an amount of data transmitted by the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers during a predetermined time interval.
 10. A computer program product, comprising: computer-readable medium comprising: code for causing a computer to communicate with a wireless device over a plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers; code for causing a computer to group the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers into a logical channel group consisting of only non guaranteed bit rate bearers; code for causing a computer to receive a transmission request for the logical channel group; and code for causing a computer to schedule transmission from the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on the transmission request and a peak transmission data rate associated with the wireless device.
 11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the peak transmission data rate comprises a user equipment aggregate maximum bit rate.
 12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises code for causing a computer to schedule transmission from the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers based at least in part on an amount of data transmitted by the wireless device over the plurality of non-guaranteed bit rate bearers during a predetermined time interval. 